Vehicle-body structure of vehicle

ABSTRACT

There are provided a vehicle-body frame member forming an opening portion for entrance at a vehicle side part and a front side door provided so as to open and close the opening portion. The vehicle-body frame member comprises a side sill, the front side door comprises a door panel portion provided with an inner lower portion which overlaps with the side sill in a vehicle wide view and reinforcement portions provided at two side-portions of a peripheral part of the door panel portion which are continuous and include the inner lower portion such that the reinforcement portions overlap with the vehicle-body frame member in a vehicle side view.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vehicle-body structure of a vehicle.

Conventionally, in a vehicle which comprises a frame member forming anopening portion for entrance at a vehicle side part and a side doorprovided so as to open and close the opening portion, a structure of theside door to cope with a vehicle side collision has been developed (seeJapanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2018-52138, for example).

The above-described patent document discloses a door for a vehicle whichis provided with panel portions which are arranged on a cabin inwardside and on a cabin outward side, a frame portion which is arrangedbetween the panel portions, and a reinforcement portion which isarranged at the frame portion, wherein the frame portion comprises frontand rear parts which respectively extend in a vertical direction atfront-side and rear-side portions of the panel portions and a lower partwhich interconnects respective lower portions of the front and rearparts, and the reinforcement portion comprises a first reinforcementwhich interconnects the above-described front and rear parts and asecond reinforcement which interconnects the first reinforcement and theabove-described lower part.

Herein, a vehicle-body structure of the vehicle is required to suppressa center pillar from coming into a cabin as much as possible in thevehicle side collision. Recently, weight reduction of the vehicle(light-weight vehicle) is also required from viewpoints of the fueleconomy and the like. Therefore, it is necessary to compatibly attainthe further weight reduction of the vehicle and increasing of the amountof absorption of the collision load (the collision-load absorptionperformance) in the vehicle side collision. In the door disclosed in theabove-described patent document, however, since it is necessary toprovide both the frame portion and the reinforcement portion, the weightis so increased that it may be difficult to satisfy the above-describedrequirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been devised in view of the above-describedmatter, and an object of the present invention is to provide avehicle-body structure of a vehicle which can compatibly attain theweight reduction of the vehicle and increasing of the amount ofabsorption of the collision load in the vehicle side collision.

The present invention is a vehicle-body structure of a vehicle,comprising a vehicle-body frame member forming an opening portion forentrance at a vehicle side part, and a side door provided so as to openand close the opening portion, wherein the vehicle-body frame membercomprises a side sill, the side door comprises a door panel portion anda reinforcement portion provided at a peripheral part of the door panelportion such that the reinforcement portion overlaps with thevehicle-body frame member in a vehicle side view, the peripheral part ofthe door panel portion comprises a lower-side overlapping portion whichoverlaps with the side sill in the vehicle side view, and thereinforcement portion is provided at two side-portions of the peripheralpart of the door panel portion which are continuous and include thelower-side overlapping portion.

That is, in the vehicle side collision, the side door is moved (pushed)toward the cabin and comes to contact the vehicle-body frame member. Atthis moment, the door panel portion receives a reaction load from thevehicle-body frame member in addition to the collision load. Accordingto the present invention, deformation of the two side-portions of theperipheral part of the door panel portion which are continuous andinclude the lower-side overlapping portion where the reinforcementportions are provided is suppressed. Thereby, deformation of atriangular area including the above-described two side-portions issuppressed even if it receives the collision load and the reaction loadfrom the vehicle-body frame member. Thus, since the deformation of thedoor panel portion is suppressed in the triangular area including thetwo side-portions, the door panel portion is suppressed from coming intothe cabin. Accordingly, a contact state of the door panel portion andthe vehicle-body frame member is maintained. Consequently, the collisionload of the vehicle side collision is transmitted from the side door tothe vehicle-body frame member, being dispersed to a whole part of thedoor panel portion. Accordingly, the weight reduction of the vehicle andincreasing of the amount of absorption of the collision load in thevehicle side collision can be compatibly attained.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle-body frame membercomprises a floor cross member provided at a position which overlapswith the side sill in the vehicle side view and extending in a vehiclewidth direction, and the reinforcement portion is configured to overlapwith the floor cross member in the vehicle side view.

According to this embodiment, since the floor cross member extends inthe vehicle width direction, a portion of the side sill which overlapswith the floor cross member has high rigidity against the collision loadapplied from the vehicle side. Accordingly, if the lower-sidereinforcement portion is configured to overlap with the floor crossmember in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehiclewidth direction), the collision load of the vehicle side collision canbe effectively transmitted to the vehicle-body frame member. Thereby,the amount of absorption of the collision load in the vehicle sidecollision can be further increased.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle-body framemember comprises a center pillar, the peripheral part of the door panelportion comprises a center overlapping portion which overlaps with thecenter pillar in the vehicle side view, and the reinforcement portion isprovided at the lower-side overlapping portion and the centeroverlapping portion of the peripheral part of the door panel portion.

In the vehicle side collision, a collision object often collides with anarea of the vehicle including the center pillar. Therefore, according tothis embodiment where the reinforcement portion is provided at thecenter overlapping portion, deformation of the center overlappingportion in the vehicle side collision is suppressed. Thereby, thecollision load can be received by the center overlapping portion and thelower-side overlapping portion and transmitted to the vehicle-body framemember. Accordingly, even if the collision object collides with the areaof the vehicle including the center pillar, the collision load issuppressed from being concentrated at the center pillar. Thereby, theamount of absorption of the collision load in the vehicle side collisioncan be further increased.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the center overlappingportion overlaps with a central part, in a vertical direction, of thecenter pillar, and the reinforcement portion provided at the centeroverlapping portion extends so as to include a position of the centeroverlapping portion which overlaps with the central part, in thevertical direction, of the center pillar.

According to this embodiment, since the reinforcement portion extends soas to include the position of the center overlapping portion whichoverlaps with the central part, in the vertical direction, of the centerpillar, the collision load of the vehicle side collision can beeffectively transmitted to an upper-side part of the center pillar.Thereby, the amount of absorption of the collision load in the vehicleside collision can be more further increased.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle-body framemember comprises a hinge pillar and an instrument-panel member providedat a position which overlaps with the hinge pillar in the vehicle sideview and extending in the vehicle width direction, the peripheral partof the door panel portion comprises a front-side overlapping portionwhich overlaps with the hinge pillar and the instrument-panel member inthe vehicle side view, and the reinforcement portion is provided at thelower-side overlapping portion and the front-side overlapping portion ofthe peripheral part of the door panel portion.

According to this embodiment, since the instrument-panel member extendsin the vehicle width direction, a portion of the hinge pillar whichoverlaps with the instrument-panel member has high rigidity against thecollision load applied from the vehicle side. Accordingly, if thefront-side reinforcement portion is configured to overlap with theinstrument-panel member in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed fromthe vehicle width direction), the collision load of the vehicle sidecollision can be effectively transmitted to the vehicle-body framemember. Thereby, the amount of absorption of the collision load in thevehicle side collision can be more further increased.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the side door furthercomprises an impact bar attached to the door panel portion and extendingin a vehicle longitudinal direction, and the reinforcement portion isconfigured to include an attachment portion of the impact bar to thedoor panel portion.

According to this embodiment, since the impact bar is provided, thecollision load can be absorbed by deformation of the impact bar in thevehicle side collision. Meanwhile, the collision load tends to beconcentrated at the attachment portion of the impact bar to the doorpanel portion. Therefore, by configuring the reinforcement portion toinclude the attachment portion of the impact bar to the door panelportion, deformation of the attachment portion can be suppressed even ifthe collision load is concentrated at the attachment portion. Thereby,the amount of absorption of the collision load in the vehicle sidecollision can be more further increased.

The present invention will become apparent from the followingdescription which refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a left-side side part of a vehicleprovided with a vehicle-body structure of the vehicle according to anembodiment of the present invention, which shows around a front sidedoor.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a vehicle-body frame member at theleft-side side part of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state where an outer panel of the frontside door is removed, when viewed from a vehicle left side.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a curved portion of a door inner panel,when viewed from a front left side.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state where a collision object contactsthe front side door in a vehicle side collision.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a state of a portion around a sidesill when the collision object comes into a cabin from the state shownin FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a state of the portion around theside sill when the collision object further comes into the cabin fromthe state shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a state of the vehicle provided with avehicle-body structure according to another embodiment where the outerpanel of the front side door is removed, when viewed from the vehicleleft side.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereafter, embodiments of the present invention will be describedreferring to the drawings. In the following description, front, rear,left, right, upper and lower which respectively mean directions relativeto a vehicle 1 will be simply referred to as “front,” “rear,” “left,”“right,” “upper,” and “lower.”

FIG. 1 shows a left-side side part of the vehicle 1 to which avehicle-body structure according to an embodiment is applied. Thevehicle 1 is a 4-door type of passenger car. In the present embodiment,since the vehicle-body structure of the vehicle 1 is configured to belaterally symmetrical, the vehicle-body structure of the left-side partof the vehicle 1 will be described specifically only, and detailedexplanation of the one of a right-side part of the vehicle 1 will beomitted. Further, in the following description, there is a case where aninward side, in a vehicle width direction, of the vehicle 1 will besimply referred to as “right side” and also an outward side, in thevehicle width direction, of the vehicle 1 will be simply referred to as“left side.”

The vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle-body frame member 2 which formsfront-side and rear-side opening portions for entrance 3, 4 at itsleft-side side part, through which a passenger gets on or gets off. Afront side door 5 is arranged at the front-side opening portion 3 so asto open and close this opening portion 3. A rear side door 6 is arrangedat the rear-side opening portion 4 so as to open and close this openingportion 4.

The vehicle-body frame member 2 comprises, as shown in FIG. 2, a sidesill 10 which is arranged at a lower part of the vehicle 1 and extendsin a longitudinal direction, a hinge pillar 20 which extends upwardlyfrom a front-side end portion of the side sill 10, a front pillar 30which extends obliquely rearwardly-and-upwardly from an upper-side endportion of the hinge pillar 20, and a roof side rail 31 whichcontinuously extends rearwardly from a rear-side end portion of thefront pillar 30. The vehicle-body frame member 2 further comprises acenter pillar 40 which extends in a vertical direction and interconnectsa central part, in the longitudinal direction, of the side sill 10 and acentral part, in the longitudinal direction, of the roof side rail 31.The front-side opening portion 3 is partitioned by the side sill 10, thehinge pillar 20, the front pillar 30, the roof side rail 31, and thecenter pillar 40.

Further, the vehicle-body frame member 2 comprises a wheel arch 50 whichextends upwardly-and-rearwardly in an arch shape from a rear-side endportion of the side sill 10 and forms a part of a wheel house and aquarter pillar 51 which extends vertically and interconnects the wheelarch 50 and the roof side rail 31. The rear-side opening portion 4 ispartitioned by the side sill 10, the roof side rail 31, the centerpillar 40, the wheel arch 50, and the quarter pillar 51.

The side sill 10 comprises, as shown in FIG. 4, a side-sill inner panel11 which is positioned on the inward side, in the vehicle widthdirection, of the vehicle 1 (on the right side in this figure) and has ahat-shaped cross section and a side-sill outer panel 12 which ispositioned on the outward side, in the vehicle width direction, of thevehicle 1 (on the left side in this figure) and has a hat-shaped crosssection. The cross section of the side-sill inner panel 11 is opened tothe left side, and the cross section of the side-sill outer panel 12 isopened to the right side. Each of the side-sill inner panel 11 and theside-sill outer panel 12 has side-sill flanges 13 which extend in thevertical direction and in the longitudinal direction at its upper-sideend portion and its lower-side end portion. The respective side-sillflanges 13 overlap with each other in the vehicle width direction andare welded together. Thus, a closed-cross section is formed by theside-sill inner panel 11 and the side-sill outer panel 12.

The side-sill outer panel 12 comprises, as shown in FIG. 4, a side-sillupper wall portion 12 a which extends toward the left side from alower-side end portion of the upper-side side-sill flange 13, aside-sill lower wall portion 12 b which extends, facing the side-sillupper wall portion 12 a in the vertical direction, and a side-sill sidewall portion 12 c which interconnects a left-side end portion of theside-sill upper wall portion 12 a and a left-side end portion of theside-sill lower wall portion 12 b in the vertical direction.

A first side-sill reinforcement 14 and a second side-sill reinforcement15 are provided inside the side sill 10. The first side-sillreinforcement 14 is configured to have a hat-shaped cross section whichis opened to the right side, and arranged along the side-sill outerpanel 12. The second side-sill reinforcement 15 is of a flat plateshape. Respective end portion, in the vertical direction, of the firstside-sill reinforcement 14 overlap with the respective side-sill flanges13 in the vehicle width direction and are welded together with theside-sill flanges 13. The second side-sill reinforcement 15 is welded toa right side of the first side-sill reinforcement 14.

As shown in FIG. 4, a left-side end portion of a floor panel 16 whichexpands in the longitudinal direction and in the vehicle width directionis joined to a lower-side portion of the side-sill inner panel 11.Further, a left-side end portion of a first floor cross member 17 whichextends in the vehicle width direction is joined to an upper-sideportion of the side-sill inner panel 11. A floor side rail 18 whichextends in the longitudinal direction is joined to a lower face of thefloor panel 16.

The hinge pillar 20 comprises two front-door hinges 21 to support thefront side door 5. The two front-door hinges 21 are provided to bespaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

The hinge pillar 20 comprises, as shown in FIG. 5, a hinge-pillar innerpanel 22 which is positioned on the inward side, in the vehicle widthdirection, of the vehicle 1 (on the right side in this figure) and has ahat-shaped cross section and a hinge-pillar outer panel 23 which ispositioned on the outward side, in the vehicle width direction, of thevehicle 1 (on the left side in this figure) and has a hat-shaped crosssection. The cross section of the hinge-pillar inner panel 22 is openedto the left side, and the cross section of the hinge-pillar outer panel23 is opened to the right side. Each of the hinge-pillar inner panel 22and the hinge-pillar outer panel 23 has hinge-pillar flanges 24 whichextend in the vertical direction and in the longitudinal direction atits front-side end portion and its rear-side end portion. The respectivehinge-pillar flanges 24 overlap with each other in the vehicle widthdirection and are welded together. Thus, a closed-cross section isformed by the hinge-pillar inner panel 22 and the hinge-pillar outerpanel 23.

The hinge-pillar outer panel 23 comprises, as shown in FIG. 5, ahinge-pillar front wall portion 23 a which extends toward the left sidefrom a rear-side end portion of the upper-side hinge-pillar flange 24, ahinge-pillar rear wall portion 23 b which extends, facing thehinge-pillar front wall portion 23 a in the longitudinal direction, anda hinge-pillar side wall portion 23 c which interconnects a left-sideend portion of the hinge-pillar front wall portion 23 a and a left-sideend portion of the hinge-pillar rear wall portion 23 b in thelongitudinal direction.

A hinge-pillar reinforcement 25 is provided inside the hinge pillar 20.The hinge-pillar reinforcement 25 is configured to have a hat-shapedcross section which is opened to the right side, and arranged along thehinge-pillar outer panel 23. Respective end portions, in thelongitudinal direction, of the hinge-pillar reinforcement 25 overlapwith the respective hinge-pillar flanges 24 in the vehicle widthdirection and are welded together with the hinge-pillar flanges 24.Herein, in FIG. 5, the front-side end portion of the hinge-pillarreinforcement 25 does not overlap with the hinge-pillar flange 24. Atanother part of the hinge-pillar reinforcement 25, however, thefront-side end portion of the hinge-pillar reinforcement 25 overlapswith the hinge-pillar flanges 24 as well.

As shown in FIG. 5, a left-side end portion of an instrument-panelmember 26 is joined to the hinge-pillar inner panel 22. Theinstrument-panel member 26 is provided with hinges 26 a to pivotablysupport a glove box in the vertical direction and others. A dash panel27 which partitions a cabin from an engine room is joined to afront-side end portion of the hinge-pillar inner panel 22.

The center pillar 40 is provided with two rear-door hinges 41 to supportthe openable rear side door 6. The two rear-door hinges 41 are providedto be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. The centerpillar 40 is further provided with a striker 42 at its front-sideposition which is located slightly below the upper-side rear-door hinge41. The striker 42 is fixed to the center pillar 40. The striker 42 is amember to lock the front side door 5 in a closed state through itsengagement with a door latch 5 b of the front side door 5 (see FIG. 3).

The center pillar 40 comprises, as shown in FIG. 6, a center-pillarinner panel 43 which is positioned on the inward side, in the vehiclewidth direction, of the vehicle 1 (on the right side in this figure) andhas a hat-shaped cross section and a center-pillar outer panel 44 whichis positioned on the outward side, in the vehicle width direction, ofthe vehicle 1 (on the left side in this figure) and has a hat-shapedcross section. The cross section of the center-pillar inner panel 43 isopened to the left side, and the cross section of the center-pillarouter panel 44 is opened to the right side. Each of the center-pillarinner panel 43 and the center-pillar outer panel 44 has center-pillarflanges 45 which extend in the vertical direction and in thelongitudinal direction at its front-side end portion and its rear-sideend portion. The respective center-pillar flanges 45 overlap with eachother in the vehicle width direction and are welded together. Thus, aclosed-cross section is formed by the center-pillar inner panel 43 andthe center-pillar outer panel 44.

The center-pillar outer panel 44 comprises, as shown in FIG. 6, acenter-pillar front wall portion 44 a which extends toward the left sidefrom a rear-side end portion of the front-side center-pillar flange 45,a center-pillar rear wall portion 44 b which extends, facing thecenter-pillar front wall portion 44 a in the longitudinal direction, anda center-pillar side wall portion 44 c which interconnects a left-sideend portion of the center-pillar front wall portion 44 a and a left-sideend portion of the center-pillar rear wall portion 44 b in thelongitudinal direction.

A center-pillar reinforcement 46 is provided inside the center pillar40. The center-pillar reinforcement 46 is configured to have ahat-shaped cross section which is opened to the right side, and arrangedalong the center-pillar outer panel 44. Respective end portion, in thelongitudinal direction, of the center-pillar reinforcement 46 overlapwith the respective center-pillar flanges 45 in the vehicle widthdirection and are welded together with the center-pillar flanges 45.

As shown in FIG. 2, a lower-side end portion of the center pillar 40 islocated at the same position as a second floor cross member 47 whichextends in the vehicle width direction.

The roof side rail 31 comprises, as shown in FIG. 7, a roof-side innerpanel 32 which is positioned on the inward side, in the vehicle widthdirection, of the vehicle 1 (on the right side in this figure) and aroof-side outer panel 33 which is positioned on the outward side, in thevehicle width direction, of the vehicle 1 (on the left side in thisfigure) and has a C-shaped cross section. The cross section of theroof-side outer panel 33 is opened to the right side. The roof-sideouter panel 33 has a roof-side flange 34 which extends in the verticaldirection and in the longitudinal direction at its lower-side endportion. The roof-side flange 34 overlaps with a lower-side end portionof the roof-side inner panel 32 in the vehicle width direction and theseare welded together. An upper-side end portion of the roof-side outerpanel 33 overlaps with an upper-side end portion of the roof-side innerpanel 32 in the vehicle width direction and these are welded together.Thus, a closed-cross section is formed by the roof-side inner panel 32and the roof-side outer panel 33.

A roof-side reinforcement 35 is provided inside the roof side rail 31.The roof-side reinforcement 35 is configured to have a hat-shaped crosssection which is opened to the right side, and arranged along theroof-side outer panel 33. A lower-side end portion of the roof-sidereinforcement 35 overlaps with a lower-side end portion of the roof-sideinner panel 32 and the roof-side flange 34 of the roof-side outer panel33 in the vehicle width direction and these are welded together.Meanwhile, an upper-side end portion of the roof-side reinforcement 35overlaps with an upper-side end portion of the roof-side inner panel 32and an upper-side end portion of the roof-side outer panel 33 in thevehicle width direction and these are welded together.

As shown in FIG. 7, a roof cross member 36 which extends in the vehiclewidth direction is provided on the right side of the roof side rail 31.A left-side end portion of the roof cross member 36 is joined to theroof side rail 31.

Next, the front side door 5 will be described as an example of aside-door structure. In the following description, a state where thefront side door 5 closes the front-side opening portion 3 is a premise.Herein, while detailed description of the rear side door 6 is omitted,the rear side door 6 has substantially the same structure as the frontside door 5 except a shape of a door panel portion 60 and a shape of areinforcement portion, which will be described later.

The front side door 5 comprises, as shown in FIGS. 4-8, the door panelportion 60 which has a door inner panel 61 which is positioned on theinward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the vehicle (on theright side in this figure) and a door outer panel 62 which is positionedon the outward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the vehicle (onthe left side in this figure). The door inner panel 61 and the doorouter panel 62 are welded together so as to have a closed-cross sectionformed thereby. A door trim is joined to a face of the door inner panel61 which is opposite to the door outer panel 62.

The door inner panel 61 is made of a single-sheet steel plate. The doorinner panel 61 is formed along a periphery of the front-side openingportion 3 as shown in FIG. 3. The door inner panel 61 comprises an innerfront portion 63 which extends in the vertical direction along the hingepillar 20, an inner rear portion 64 which extends in the verticaldirection along a lower part of the center pillar 40, and an inner lowerportion 65 which extends along the side sill 10 and interconnects alower-side end portion of the inner front portion 63 and a lower-sideend portion of the inner rear portion 64. The door inner panel 61further comprises a beltline portion 66 which extends straightly in thelongitudinal direction and interconnects an upper-side end portion ofthe inner front portion 63 and an upper-side end portion of the innerrear portion 64. The door inner panel 61 further comprises a windowframe portion 67 which forms a quarter-window opening portion which isclosed with a window glass. A corner portion between the inner rearportion 64 and the inner lower portion 65 of the door inner panel 61 isconfigured as a curved portion 68 which is curved smoothly from theinner rear portion 64 toward the inner lower portion 65.

The inner front portion 63 comprises, as shown in FIG. 5, a front-sideouter wall portion 63 a which is positioned at the outside, in a surfacedirection, of the door inner panel 61 (on the front side in thisfigure), a front-side inner wall portion 63 b which is positioned on theinside, in the surface direction, (on the rear side in this figure) ofthe front-side outer wall portion 63 a, and a front-side connection wallportion 63 c which interconnects the front-side outer wall portion 63 aand the front-side inner wall portion 63 b in the vehicle widthdirection. The front-side outer wall portion 63 a comprises a part whichexpands in the longitudinal direction and in the vertical direction andanother part which expands in the vehicle width direction and in thevertical direction continuously from a front-side end portion of theabove-described part. The front-side inner wall portion 63 b expands inthe longitudinal direction and in the vertical direction. The front-sideconnection wall portion 63 c expands in the vehicle width direction andin the vertical direction so as to interconnect a rear-side end portionof the front-side outer wall portion 63 a and a front-side end portionof the front-side inner wall portion 63 b. The front-side outer wallportion 63 a extends in the vertical direction such that this portion 63a overlaps with the rear-side hinge-pillar flange 24 and thehinge-pillar side wall portion 23 c of the hinge pillar 20 in thevehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction).The front-side inner wall portion 63 b extends in the vertical directionsuch that this portion 63 b overlaps with the rear-side hinge-pillarflange 24 of the hinge pillar 20 in the vehicle side view (i.e., whenviewed from the vehicle width direction). The inner front portion 63forms a front-side overlapping portion which overlaps with the hingepillar 20 in the vehicle side view.

The inner rear portion 64 comprises, as shown in FIG. 6, a rear-sideouter wall portion 64 a which is positioned at the outside, in a surfacedirection, of the door inner panel 61 (on the rear side in this figure),a rear-side inner wall portion 64 b which is positioned on the inside,in the surface direction, (on the front side in this figure) of therear-side outer wall portion 64 a, and a rear-side connection wallportion 64 c which interconnects the rear-side outer wall portion 64 aand the rear-side inner wall portion 64 b in the vehicle widthdirection. The rear-side outer wall portion 64 a comprises a part whichexpands in the longitudinal direction and in the vertical direction andanother part which expands in the vehicle width direction and in thevertical direction continuously from a rear-side end portion of theabove-described part. The rear-side inner wall portion 64 b expands inthe longitudinal direction and in the vertical direction. The rear-sideconnection wall portion 64 c expands in the vehicle width direction andin the vertical direction so as to interconnect a front-side end portionof the rear-side outer wall portion 64 a and a rear-side end portion ofthe rear-side inner wall portion 64 b. A ridgeline is formed between therear-side connection wall portion 64 c and the rear-side outer wallportion 64 a. The rear-side outer wall portion 64 a extends in thevertical direction such that this portion 64 a overlaps with thefront-side center-pillar flange 45 and the center-pillar side wallportion 44 c of the center pillar 40 in the vehicle side view (i.e.,when viewed from the vehicle width direction). The rear-side inner wallportion 64 b extends in the vertical direction such that this portion 64b overlaps with the front-side center-pillar flange 45 of the centerpillar 40 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehiclewidth direction).

The inner rear portion 64 is configured to overlap with the centralpart, in the vertical direction, of the center pillar 40 in the vehicleside view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction). Theinner rear portion 64 forms a center overlapping portion which overlapswith the center pillar 40 in the vehicle side view.

The door latch 5 b engaging with the striker 42 is provided at a part ofthe inner rear portion 64 which corresponds to the striker 42. The doorlatch 5 b is provided at a position of the inner rear portion 64 whichoverlaps with the central part, in the vertical direction, of the centerpillar 40. The door latch 5 b causes the front side door 5 to engagewith the center pillar 40 through its engagement with the striker 42.The door latch 5 b is configured to control an engagement state with thestriker 42 by operating a door handle 5 a (see FIG. 1).

The inner lower portion 65 comprises, as shown in FIG. 4, a lower-sideouter wall portion 65 a which is positioned at the outside, in thesurface direction, of the door inner panel 61 (on the lower side in thisfigure), a lower-side inner wall portion 65 b which is positioned on theinside, in the surface direction, (on the upper side in this figure) ofthe lower-side outer wall portion 65 a, and a lower-side connection wallportion 65 c which interconnects the lower-side outer wall portion 65 aand the lower-side inner wall portion 65 b in the vehicle widthdirection. The lower-side outer wall portion 65 a and the lower-sideinner wall portion 65 b expand in the longitudinal direction and in thevertical direction. The lower-side connection wall portion 65 c expandsin the vehicle width direction and in the longitudinal direction so asto interconnect an upper-side end portion of the lower-side outer wallportion 65 a and a lower-side end portion of the lower-side inner wallportion 65 b. A ridgeline is formed between the lower-side connectionwall portion 65 c and the lower-side outer wall portion 65 a. Thelower-side outer wall portion 65 a extends in the longitudinal directionsuch that this portion 65 a overlaps with the upper-side side-sillflange 13 and the side-sill side wall portion 12 c of the side sill 10in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle widthdirection). The lower-side inner wall portion 65 b extends in thelongitudinal direction such that this portion 65 b overlaps with theupper-side side-sill flange 13 of the side sill 10 in the vehicle sideview (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction). The innerlower portion 65 forms a lower-side overlapping portion which overlapswith the side sill 10 in the vehicle side view.

The window frame portion 67 comprises, as shown in FIG. 7, an upper-sideouter wall portion 67 a which is positioned at the outside, in thesurface direction, of the door inner panel 61 (on the upper side in thisfigure), an upper-side inner wall portion 67 b which is positioned onthe inside, in the surface direction, (on the lower side in this figure)of the upper-side outer wall portion 67 a, and an upper-side connectionwall portion 67 c which interconnects the upper-side outer wall portion67 a and the upper-side inner wall portion 67 b in the verticaldirection and in the vehicle width direction. The upper-side outer wallportion 67 a expands in the longitudinal direction and in the vehiclewidth direction and slants downwardly toward the right side. Theupper-side inner wall portion 67 b expands in the longitudinal directionand in the vertical direction. The lower-side connection wall portion 65c is curved downwardly toward the left side from a right-side endportion of the upper-side outer wall portion 67 a so as to interconnecta right-side end portion of the upper-side outer wall portion 67 a andan upper-side end portion of the upper-side inner wall portion 67 b. Theupper-side outer wall portion 67 a and the upper-side connection portion67 c extend such that they overlap with the roof-side flange 34 in thevehicle sideview (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction).

As shown in FIG. 3, a first impact bar 81 and a second impact bar 82 areattached to the door inner panel 61. The first impact bar 81 extendsobliquely rearwardly-and-downwardly and interconnects an upper-side endportion of the inner front portion 63 and a lower-side end portion ofthe inner rear portion 64. The second impact bar 82 extends obliquelyrearwardly-and-downwardly so as to interconnect a middle part, in thelongitudinal direction, of the beltline portion 66 and a middle part, inthe vertical direction, of the inner rear portion 64. The first impactbar 81 is configured such that both-side end portions, in thelongitudinal direction, thereof have a hat-shaped cross section and amiddle portion, in the longitudinal direction, thereof has an M-shapedcross section as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

As shown in FIGS. 3-8, plural reinforcement portions are provided at aperipheral portion of the door inner panel 61. Specifically, thereinforcement portions are provided at two side-portions of theperipheral part of the door panel portion 60 which are continuous andinclude the inner lower portion 65. More specifically, the reinforcementportions comprise a rear-side reinforcement portion 72 which is providedalong the inner rear portion 64 and a lower-side reinforcement portion73 which is provided along the inner lower portion 65. The reinforcementportions 71, 72 may be made of a plate member which is made from hotmaterial, for example.

The rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is a patch member which isattached along the rear-side outer wall portion 64 and the rear-sideconnection wall portion 64 c as shown in FIG. 3. That is, the rear-sidereinforcement portion 72 is provided to straddle a ridgeline between therear-side outer wall portion 64 a and the rear-side connection wallportion 64 c. The rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is, as shown inFIG. 5, provided to overlap with the front-side center-pillar flange 45and the center-pillar side wall portion 44 c of the center pillar 40 inthe vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle widthdirection). Further, the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is locatedat the same position, in the longitudinal direction, as the second floorcross member 47.

The rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8,provided to overlap with a lower-side end portion of the first impactbar 81 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehiclewidth direction). The rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is welded tothe inner rear portion 64 in a state where this portion 72 overlaps withthe first impact bar 81 and the inner rear portion 64 (specifically, therear-side outer wall portion 64 a) at a joint position of the firstimpact bar 81 to the door inner panel 61, which is not illustrated.

The rear-side reinforcement portion 72 extends, as shown in FIG. 3, soas to include a position of the inner rear portion 64 which overlapswith the central part, in the vertical direction, of the center pillar40. Specifically, it extends up to a position of an upper-side endportion of the door latch 5 b in the present embodiment.

The rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is of a curved shape such that itextends along a curve of the curved portion 68 as shown in FIG. 9.

The lower-side reinforcement portion 73 is, as shown in FIG. 4,configured to have a U-shaped cross section which is opened to the rightside and to form a closed-cross section cooperatively with the side sill10. Specifically, the lower-side reinforcement portion 73 is joined tothe lower-side outer wall portion 65 a and the lower-side connectionwall portion 65 c such that this portion 73 straddles the ridgelinebetween the lower-side outer wall portion 65 a and the lower-sideconnection wall portion 65 c and thereby the closed-cross section isformed. The lower-side reinforcement portion 73 is provided to overlapwith the upper-side side-sill flange 13 and the side-sill side wallportion 12 c of the side sill 10 in the vehicle side view (i.e., whenviewed from the vehicle width direction). Further, the lower-sidereinforcement portion 73 is provided to overlap with the first floorcross member 17 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from thevehicle width direction).

The door outer panel 62 determines an outer shape (contour) of the frontside door 5, when viewed from an outward side, in the vehicle widthdirection, of the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. 1.

Herein, the rear side door 6 also comprises plural reinforcementportions similarly to the front side door 5. These reinforcementportions are provided at respective portions of a door panel portion ofthe rear side door 6 which overlap with the center pillar 40 and theside sill 10 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from thevehicle width direction).

Herein, the vehicle-body structure of the vehicle 1 is required tosuppress the center pillar 40 from coming into the cabin as much aspossible in the vehicle side view. Further, the weight reduction of thevehicle 1 is recently required from viewpoints of the fuel economy andthe like. Therefore, it is necessary to compatibly attain the furtherweight reduction of the vehicle and increasing of the amount ofabsorption of the collision load in the vehicle side collision.

If the frame members are arranged between the door inner panel 61 andthe door outer panel 62 like a conventional side door, the transmissionefficiency of the load may be improved. However, the weight of thevehicle improperly is increased in this case. Therefore, some structurewithout any frame member arranged may be required.

Herein, according to the present embodiment of the invention, bucklingdeformation of the door inner panel 61 is so suppressed in the vehicleside collision by providing the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 andthe lower-side reinforcements 73 at the door inner panel 61 as describedabove that the collision load can be efficiently transmitted to thevehicle-body frame member 2. Hereafter, a motion of the door panelportion 60 in the vehicle side collision will be described referring toFIGS. 10-12. Herein, FIGS. 10-12 show a case where a collision object Acollides with the left-side part of the vehicle 1. Further, FIGS. 10-12show the motion of the door panel portion 60 of the front side door 5,omitting illustration of a motion regarding the rear side door 6.

A situation where the collision object A moves toward the center pillar40 and then comes to contact the left-side part of the vehicle 1 asshown in FIG. 10 is assumed here. Herein, the inner rear portion 64 isin a state where it is interposed between the center pillar 40 and thecollision object A.

FIG. 11 shows a state of a portion around the side sill 10 when thecollision object A comes into the cabin from the state shown in FIG. 10.When the collision object A comes in as shown in FIG. 11 from the stateshown in FIG. 10, a load directed to a cabin inside (to the right sidein this figure) is inputted (applied). Herein, the front side door 5 ismoved (pushed) to the right side. Thereby, as show in FIG. 11, the innerlower portion 65 comes to contact the upper-side side sill flange 13 andthe side-sill side wall portion 12 c of the side sill 10. At thismoment, the inner lower portion 65 transmits the collision load to theside sill 10. Further, the inner lower portion 65 receives a forcedirected to the inside, in the surface direction, of the door innerpanel 61 (to the upper side in this figure) through this coming-in ofthe collision object A. Meanwhile, the inner rear portion 64 transmitsthe collision load to the center pillar 40.

Then, it is supposed here that the collision object A further comes tothe right side from the state shown in FIG. 11 as shown in FIG. 12.Herein, the inner lower portion 65 is suppressed from being deformed bythe lower-side reinforcement portion 73. Particularly, the lower-sidereinforcement portion 73 suppresses the lower-side connection wallportion 65 c from being bent (buckling deformation) to the inside, inthe surface direction, of the door inner panel 61. Thereby, thelower-side outer wall portion 65 a is suppressed from being deformed tothe inside, in the surface direction, of the door inner panel 61.Meanwhile, the inner rear portion 64 is suppressed from being deformedby the rear-side reinforcement portion 72. Particularly, it issuppressed that the lower-side connection wall portion 65 c providedwith the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 is bent (bucklingdeformation) to the inside, in the surface direction, of the door innerpanel 61. Thereby, a triangular area including the inner rear portion 64and the inner lower portion 65 is suppressed from being deformed even ifit receives the collision load and the reaction load from thevehicle-body frame member 2. Consequently, it is suppressed that thedoor panel portion 60 is pushed into the cabin, so that a contact stateof the inner rear portion 64 and the center pillar 40 and a contactstate of the inner lower portion 65 and the side sill 10 arerespectively maintained. Accordingly, the transmission of the collisionload from the inner rear portion 64 to the center pillar 40 can bemaintained, and also the transmission of the collision load from theinner lower portion 65 to the side sill 10 can be maintained.

As described above, since the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 islocated at the same position, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, asthe second floor cross member 47 as described above, the collision loadof the vehicle side collision is transmitted from the rear-sidereinforcement portion 72 to the second floor cross member 47 by way ofthe center pillar 47 and the side sill 10.

In particular, since the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 extends soas to include the position of the inner rear portion 64 which overlapswith the central part, in the vertical direction, of the center pillar40, the collision load is transmitted to the upper-side part of thecenter pillar. Thereby, the collision load can be dispersed to a wholepart of the center pillar 40. Moreover, the collision load can betransmitted to the roof side rail 31 by way of the center pillar 40 aswell.

Further, as described above, since the lower-side reinforcement portion73 overlaps with the first floor cross member 17 in the vehicle sideview (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction), the collisionload of the vehicle side collision is transmitted from the lower-sidereinforcement portion 73 to the first floor cross member 17 by way ofthe side sill 10. Since it extends in the vehicle width direction, thefirst floor cross member 17 can receive the collision load properly.

As described above, in the vehicle side collision, the collision load ofthe vehicle side collision is transmitted from the front side door 5 tothe vehicle-body frame member 2, being dispersed to a whole part of thedoor panel portion 60, by maintaining the contact state of theperipheral part of the door panel portion 60 and the vehicle-body framemember 2. Thereby, the amount of absorption of the collision load can beincreased. Further, since the collision load of the vehicle sidecollision is suppressed from being concentrated at the center pillar 40,the center pillar 40 can be suppressed from coming into the cabin asmuch as possible.

Thus, according to the above-described present embodiment, thevehicle-body frame member 2 comprises the side sill 10, the front sidedoor 5 comprises the door panel portion 60 and the reinforcementportions 72, 73 provided at the peripheral part of the door panelportion 60 such that the reinforcement portions 72, 73 overlap with thevehicle-body frame member 2 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewedfrom the vehicle width direction), the peripheral part of the door panelportion 60 comprises the inner lower portion 65 which overlaps with theside sill 10 in the vehicle side view, and the reinforcement portions72, 73 are provided at the inner rear portion 64 and the inner lowerportion 65 of the peripheral part of the door panel portion 60. Thereby,even if the door panel portion 60 receives the collision load and thereaction load from the vehicle-body frame member 2 in the vehicle sidecollision, the triangular area including the inner rear portion 64 andthe inner lower portion 65 is suppressed from being deformed. Thus,since the deformation of the door panel portion 60 is suppressed in theabove-described triangular area, it is suppressed that the door panelportion 60 is pushed into the cabin. Accordingly, the contact state ofthe door panel portion 60 and the vehicle-body frame member 2 ismaintained. Consequently, the collision load of the vehicle sidecollision is transmitted from the front side door 5 to the vehicle-bodyframe member 2, being dispersed to a whole part of the door panelportion 60. Accordingly, the weight reduction of the vehicle 1 andincreasing of the amount of absorption of the collision load in thevehicle side collision can be compatibly attained.

Particularly, in the vehicle side collision, the collision object Aoften collides with an area of the vehicle including the center pillar40. Therefore, according to the present embodiment where the rear-sidereinforcement portion 72 is provided at the inner rear portion 64, thedeformation of the inner rear portion 64 in the vehicle side collisionis suppressed. Thereby, the collision load can be received by the innerrear portion 64 and the inner lower portion 65 and transmitted to thevehicle-body frame member 2. Accordingly, even if the collision object Acollides with the area of the vehicle including the center pillar 40,the collision load is suppressed from being concentrated at the centerpillar 40. Thereby, the amount of absorption of the collision load inthe vehicle side collision can be further increased.

Further, in the present embodiment, the vehicle-body frame member 2comprises the first floor cross member 17 provided at the position whichoverlaps with the side sill 10 in the vehicle side view (i.e., whenviewed from the vehicle width direction) and extending in the vehiclewidth direction, and the lower-side reinforcement portion 73 isconfigured to overlap with the first floor cross member 17 in thevehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction).Thereby, a portion of the side sill 10 which overlaps with the firstfloor cross member 17 has high rigidity against the collision loadapplied from the vehicle side. Accordingly, if the lower-sidereinforcement 73 is configured to overlap with the first floor crossmember 17 in the vehicle side view, the collision load of the vehicleside collision can be effectively transmitted to the vehicle-body framemember 2. Consequently, the amount of absorption of the collision loadin the vehicle side collision can be further increased.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the inner rear portion 64 overlapswith the central part, in the vertical direction, of the center pillar40, and the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 extends so as to includethe position of the inner rear portion 64 which overlaps with thecentral part, in the vertical direction, of the center pillar 40.Thereby, the collision load of the vehicle side collision can beeffectively transmitted to an upper-side part of the center pillar 40.Consequently, the amount of absorption of the collision load in thevehicle side collision can be more further increased.

Also, the front side door 5 further comprises the first impact bar 81attached to the door panel portion 60 and extending in the vehiclelongitudinal direction, and the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 isconfigured to include an attachment portion of the first impact bar 81to the door panel portion 60. Since the first impact bar 81 is provided,the collision load can be absorbed by deformation of the first impactbar 81 in the vehicle side collision. Meanwhile, the collision loadtends to be concentrated at the attachment portion of the first impactbar 81 to the door panel portion 60. Therefore, by configuring thereinforcement portion to include the attachment portion of the firstimpact bar 81 to the door panel portion 60, deformation of theattachment portion can be suppressed even if the collision load isconcentrated at the attachment portion. Thereby, the amount ofabsorption of the collision load in the vehicle side collision can bemore further increased.

Hereafter, another embodiment will be specifically described referringto the drawings. In the following description, the common parts to theabove-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference characters,specific descriptions of which will be omitted.

The other embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment inthe position where the reinforcement portions are attached.Specifically, in the other embodiment, the rear-side reinforcementportion 72 is not provided at the inner rear portion 64, but afront-side reinforcement portion 271 is provided at the inner frontportion 63.

The front-side reinforcement portion 271 is a patch member which isattached along the front-side outer wall portion 63 a, the front-sideinner wall portion 63 b, and the front-side connection wall portion 63 cas shown in FIG. 13. That is, the front-side reinforcement portion 271is provided to straddle a ridgeline between the front-side outer wallportion 63 a and the front-side connection wall portion 63 c. Thefront-side reinforcement portion 271 is, as shown in FIG. 14, providedto overlap with the hinge-pillar side wall portion 23 c of the hingepillar 20 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehiclewidth direction). Further, the front-side reinforcement portion 271 isprovided to overlap with the instrument-panel member 26 in the vehicleside view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle width direction).

The front-side reinforcement portion 271 is, as shown in FIG. 13,provided to overlap with an upper-side end portion of the first impactbar 71 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehiclewidth direction). The front-side reinforcement portion 271 is welded tothe inner front portion 63 at a joint position of the first impact bar81 to the door inner panel 61 in a state where the front-sidereinforcement portion 271 overlaps between the first impact bar 81 andthe inner front portion 63 (specifically, the front-side outer wallportion 63 a), which is not illustrated.

In the other embodiment, when the collision object A moves toward thecenter pillar 40 and collides with the left-side part of the vehicle 1,the inner front portion 63 and the rear-side hinge-pillar flange 24 ofthe hinge pillar 20 come to contact each other. At this moment, theinner front portion 63 transmits the collision load to the hinge pillar20 and also receives the reaction load from the hinge pillar 20. Sinceit is reinforced by the front-side reinforcement portion 271, the innerfront portion 63 is suppressed from being deformed even if the collisionload and the above-described reaction load are inputted. Particularly,it is suppressed that the front-side connection wall portion 63 c isbent to the inside, in the surface direction, of the door inner panel61, i.e., buckling deformation. Thereby, the front-side outer wallportion 63 a is suppressed from being bent to the inside, in the surfacedirection, of the door inner panel 61. Meanwhile, the lower-side outerwall portion 65 a of the inner lower portion 65 is suppressed from beingbent to the inside, in the surface direction, of the door inner panel 61similarly to the above-described embodiment. Thereby, a triangular areaincluding the inner front portion 63 and the inner lower portion 65 issuppressed from being deformed even if it receives the collision loadand the reaction load from the vehicle-body frame member 2.Consequently, it is suppressed that the door panel portion 60 is pushedinto the cabin, so that the contact state of the inner front portion 63and the hinge pillar 20 and the contact state of the inner lower portion65 and the side sill 10 are maintained. Accordingly, the transmission ofthe collision load from the inner front portion 63 to the hinge pillar20 can be maintained, and also the transmission of the collision loadfrom the inner lower portion 65 to the side sill 10 can be maintained.

Consequently, the collision load of the vehicle side collision istransmitted from the front side door 5 to the vehicle-body frame member2, being dispersed to a whole part of the door panel portion 60.Accordingly, the weight reduction of the vehicle 1 and increasing of theamount of absorption of the collision load in the vehicle side collisioncan be compatibly attained in the other embodiment as well.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, according to the other embodiment, thevehicle-body frame member 2 overlaps with the hinge pillar 20,specifically the inner frame portion 63 overlaps with the hinge pillar20 and the instrument-panel member 26 in the vehicle side view (i.e.,when viewed from the vehicle width direction). Thereby, the front-sidereinforcement portion 271 overlaps with the instrument-panel member 26in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewed from the vehicle widthdirection). A portion of the hinge pillar 20 which overlaps with theinstrument-panel member 26 has high rigidity against the collision loadapplied from the vehicle side. Accordingly, if the front-sidereinforcement portion 271 is configured to overlap with theinstrument-panel member 26 in the vehicle side view (i.e., when viewedfrom the vehicle width direction), the collision load of the vehicleside collision can be effectively transmitted to the vehicle-body framemember 2. Consequently, the amount of absorption of the collision loadin the vehicle side collision can be more further increased.

The present invention should not be limited to the above-describedembodiments and any other modifications or improvements may be appliedwithin the scope of a spirit of the present invention.

For example, while the reinforcement portions 72, 73, 271 are providedat the door inner panel 61 in the above-described embodiments, these maybe provided at the peripheral part of the door outer panel 62. In thiscase, the deformation of the door outer panel 62 in the vehicle sidecollision is so suppressed that it is suppressed that the side door ispushed into the cabin, so that the connection state of the door panelportion 60 and the vehicle-body frame member 2 is maintained.

Further, while the case where the contact state of the door inner panel61 and the vehicle-body frame member 2 is maintained in the vehicle sidecollision is described in the above-described embodiments, an engagementstate of the door panel portion 60 and the vehicle-body frame member 2may be maintained by providing catcher pins as the reinforcementportions 72, 73, 271.

Moreover, while the door inner panel 61 (the inner lower portion 65)forms the closed-cross section together with only the lower-sidereinforcement portion 73 in the above-described embodiments, therear-side reinforcement portion 72 and the front-side reinforcementportion 271 may respectively form a closed-cross section together withthe door inner panel 61 similarly to the lower-side reinforcementportion 73.

On the contrary, the lower-side reinforcement portion 73 may be a patchmember attached along the lower-side outer wall portion 65 a, thelower-side inner wall portion 65 b, and the lower-side connection wallportion 65 c, similarly to the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 and soon. Herein, the rear-side reinforcement portion 72 and the lower-sidereinforcement portion 73 may be configured to be continuous in theabove-described embodiment. Also, the lower-side reinforcement portion73 and the front-side reinforcement portion 271 may be configured to becontinuous in the above-described other embodiment.

Also, a part or a whole part of the reinforcement portions 72, 73, 271may not be configured to be a separate member from the door inner panel61. In this case, the reinforcement portions 72, 73, 271 can beconfigured by making the plate thickness of a portion of the door innerpanel 61 which corresponds to the reinforcement portions 72, 73, 271thicker than the other part of the door inner panel 61, for example.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle-body structure of a vehicle,comprising: a vehicle-body frame member forming an opening portion forentrance at a vehicle side part; and a side door provided so as to openand close the opening portion, wherein said vehicle-body frame membercomprises a side sill, said side door comprises a door panel portion anda reinforcement portion provided at a peripheral part of the door panelportion such that the reinforcement portion overlaps with saidvehicle-body frame member in a vehicle side view, the peripheral part ofsaid door panel portion comprises a lower-side overlapping portion whichoverlaps with said side sill in the vehicle side view, and saidreinforcement portion is provided at two continuous side-portions of theperipheral part of the door panel portion which include said lower-sideoverlapping portion; wherein said vehicle-body frame member comprises acenter pillar, the peripheral part of said door panel portion comprisesa center overlapping portion which overlaps with said center pillar inthe vehicle side view, and said reinforcement portion is provided atsaid lower-side overlapping portion and said center overlapping portionof the peripheral part of the door panel portion; wherein thereinforcement portion comprises a rear-side reinforcement portiondisposed along an inner rear portion of the door panel portion whichextends along a lower part of the center pillar, and a lower-sidereinforcement portion disposed along an inner lower portion of the doorpanel portion which extends along the side sill; wherein the rear-sidereinforcement portion overlaps with a front-side center-pillar flangeand a center-pillar-side wall portion of the center pillar in thevehicle side view, wherein the lower-side reinforcement portion overlapswith an upper-side side-sill flange and a side-sill side wall portion ofthe side sill in the vehicle side view.
 2. The vehicle-body structure ofthe vehicle of claim 1, wherein said vehicle-body frame member comprisesa floor cross member provided at a position which overlaps with saidside sill in the vehicle side view and extending in a vehicle widthdirection, and said reinforcement portion is configured to overlap withsaid floor cross member in the vehicle side view.
 3. The vehicle-bodystructure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said center overlappingportion overlaps with a central part, in a vertical direction, of saidcenter pillar, and said reinforcement portion provided at said centeroverlapping portion extends so as to include a position of the centeroverlapping portion which overlaps with said central part, in thevertical direction, of the center pillar.
 4. The vehicle-body structureof the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said vehicle-body frame membercomprises a hinge pillar and an instrument-panel member provided at aposition which overlaps with said hinge pillar in the vehicle side viewand extending in the vehicle width direction, the peripheral part ofsaid door panel portion comprises a front-side overlapping portion whichoverlaps with said hinge pillar and said instrument-panel member in thevehicle side view, and said reinforcement portion is provided at saidlower-side overlapping portion and said front-side overlapping portionof the peripheral part of the door panel portion.
 5. The vehicle-bodystructure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said side door furthercomprises an impact bar attached to said door panel portion andextending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and said reinforcementportion is configured to include an attachment portion of said impactbar to the door panel portion.
 6. The vehicle-body structure of thevehicle of claim 2, wherein said vehicle-body frame member comprises acenter pillar, the peripheral part of said door panel portion comprisesa center overlapping portion which overlaps with said center pillar inthe vehicle side view, and said reinforcement portion is provided atsaid lower-side overlapping portion and said center overlapping portionof the peripheral part of the door panel portion.
 7. The vehicle-bodystructure of the vehicle of claim 6, wherein said center overlappingportion overlaps with a central part, in a vertical direction, of saidcenter pillar, and said reinforcement portion provided at said centeroverlapping portion extends so as to include a position of the centeroverlapping portion which overlaps with said central part, in thevertical direction, of the center pillar.
 8. The vehicle-body structureof the vehicle of claim 2, wherein said vehicle-body frame membercomprises a hinge pillar and an instrument-panel member provided at aposition which overlaps with said hinge pillar in the vehicle side viewand extending in the vehicle width direction, the peripheral part ofsaid door panel portion comprises a front-side overlapping portion whichoverlaps with said hinge pillar and said instrument-panel member in thevehicle side view, and said reinforcement portion is provided at saidlower-side overlapping portion and said front-side overlapping portionof the peripheral part of the door panel portion.
 9. The vehicle-bodystructure of the vehicle of claim 7, wherein said side door furthercomprises an impact bar attached to said door panel portion andextending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and said reinforcementportion is configured to include an attachment portion of said impactbar to the door panel portion.
 10. A vehicle-body structure of avehicle, comprising: a vehicle-body frame member forming an openingportion for entrance at a vehicle side part; and a side door provided soas to open and close the opening portion, wherein said vehicle-bodyframe member comprises a side sill, said side door comprises a doorpanel portion and a reinforcement portion provided at a peripheral partof the door panel portion such that the reinforcement portion overlapswith said vehicle-body frame member in a vehicle side view, theperipheral part of said door panel portion comprises a lower-sideoverlapping portion which overlaps with said side sill in the vehicleside view, and said reinforcement portion is provided at two continuousside-portions of the peripheral part of the door panel portion whichinclude said lower-side overlapping portion; wherein said vehicle-bodyframe member comprises a hinge pillar and an instrument-panel memberprovided at a position which overlaps with said hinge pillar in thevehicle side view and extending in the vehicle width direction, theperipheral part of said door panel portion comprises a front-sideoverlapping portion which overlaps with said hinge pillar and saidinstrument-panel member in the vehicle side view, and said reinforcementportion is provided at said lower-side overlapping portion and saidfront-side overlapping portion of the peripheral part of the door panelportion; wherein the reinforcement portion comprises a front-sidereinforcement portion disposed along an inner front portion of the doorpanel portion along the hinge pillar, and a lower-side reinforcementportion disposed along an inner lower portion of the door panel portionwhich extends along the side sill; wherein the front-side reinforcementportion overlaps with a rear-side hinge-pillar flange and a hinge-pillarside wall portion of the hinge pillar in the vehicle side view; andwherein the lower-side reinforcement portion overlaps with an upper-sideside-sill flange and a side-sill side wall portion of the side sill inthe vehicle side view.
 11. The vehicle-body structure of the vehicle ofclaim 10, wherein a surface of the front-side reinforcement portionextending along a front-side connection wall portion of the inner frontportion of the door panel portion overlaps with a rear-side hinge-pillarflange of the hinge pillar.
 12. The vehicle-body structure of thevehicle of claim 10, wherein a surface of the lower-side reinforcementportion extending along a lower-side connection wall portion of theinner lower portion of the door panel portion overlaps with theupper-side side-sill flange.
 13. The vehicle-body structure of thevehicle of claim 1, wherein a surface of the rear-side reinforcementportion extending along a rear-side connection wall portion of the innerrear portion of the door panel portion overlaps with the front-sidecenter-pillar flange.
 14. The vehicle-body structure of the vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein a surface of the lower-side reinforcement portionextending along a lower-side connection wall portion of the inner lowerportion of the door panel portion overlaps with the upper-side side-sillflange.